The Nigeria U17 team secured their spot in the quarter final of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations after a 3-2 win over South Africa in their final group game yesterday, OGN reports.
OGN editor in chief Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman rates the players who have represented Nigeria at the tournament so far in the the three games, where they picked up a 1-0 win over Zambia, loss 0-1 to Morocco before yesterday’s second group stage win.
Richard Odoh – None of the goals conceded can be said to be his fault. Commanded his area really well. Distributes play with ease and his reflex in all three games is top notch. He look very comfortable with the ball at his feet as well….. 8/10
Yahaya Lawali- Back to man of the match awards in the first two games showed his usefulness to the team. How he is yet to score or grab an assist will no doubt come as a surprise to many considering how he has combined defending with the act of roaming forward. His decision making in the final third need work but showing his versatility when he went to the middle in the second half shows how talented he is….. 8.5/10
Adewale Quadri- Hard to tell the difference in his game and that of Lawali. So far he has made just one substitute appearance but the way he took the game to the opponents shows how much of a weapon the team have in him when needed….. 6/10
Emmanuel Michael – The free scoring left back has been doing more job defensively as opposed to WAFU, where he was the first line of creativity for the team. One shocking fact from the tournament’s stat is one that says he has only been dribbled past once in three matches. Yet to score his trademark free kick, he scored three at WAFU. His first goal contribution came yesterday when he laid the assist for Abubakar Abdullahi to score what ended as the winner….. 8.5/10
Tochukwu Ogboji – One aspect of his game that has gone unnoticed is his ability to pick a pass from even 40 yards. That’s his strength plus the way he uses his body. Still raw in his application of some basic skills in defending, which is expected at this stage. Solid in all three games….. 7.5/10
Jeremiah Olaleke – Might be a bit harsh to say he isn’t playing at his level as seen at the WAFU tournament but all he has shown so far isn’t anything close to what we saw at the WAFU tournament. An improvement will do the team a whole lot of good although it’s not like he is playing badly, he can however do better….. 7/10
Hope Linus – A mix bag of pleasure and pain so far. He has impressed with his ability to receive the ball under pressure before dictating the pace for the team. That said he is guilty of over playing most times, trying fanciful passes and hitting wayward shots particularly yesterday. Still remains the engine room of the team….. 6.5/10
Usman Owoyemi – Fair to say he has put in more work than any other offensive player in the team. Works really hard to give the team balance in attack and defence. He doesn’t seem to be the flashy type of player rather he can be said to be one who makes the entire team play better when on the pitch. He has shown he can also play in several positions….. 8/10
Tochukwu Ogbabido – Very much in the same league like Owoyemi. Can do all the stuff others will shy away from. He didn’t play badly yesterday which was his first start. Obviously showed he can be a force if the team progress further….. 6/10
Abubakar Abdullahi – Full of energy and hard to shake off the ball. Wants the ball at all time and can get past his markers with his combination of skills and strength. His poor conversation rate is why he scored just one goal in the group stages. Looks quite a player but has to be more clinical and decisive in the box….. 7/10
Precious Williams – One can’t really tell why the captain whom much is expected from hasn’t lived up to the high standards required of him. Guilty of indecision, lack of effort in recovering possession and wasteful. Dropped to the bench yesterday and will need to do much more than he did when he was introduced yesterday if he wants to reclaim his spot back….. 5/10
Divine Favour – Scored Nigeria’s first goal of the tournament, a feat he couldn’t repeat in the next game which cost him a starting spot in the third game. He has a fight on his hands to displace the duo of Light Eke and Charles Agada judging by how well they played yesterday….. 6/10
Light Eke – Loves to score goals and he can actually score goals. His composure around the box of the opponents is unexpected for a player of his age. Bounced back from missing a penalty in the first game with a goal yesterday. He was very lively in what was his first start….. 7/10
Charles Agada – I didn’t know when I refered to him as Mbappe lite. Blessed with speed, control and dribbling abilities. A goal and an assist yesterday showed how roundly gifted he is. Has to be the man if the team want to achieve their aim of picking a world cup ticket….. 8.5/10
Anougu Aondoaka – The coaches seems to have an unwavering faith in him. He hasn’t repaid that trust yet and will be hoping to in the crucial stages of the tournament. Three substitute appearances tells of how the coaches see him as a player to see out games be it from a winning position or when they are losing….. 5.5/10
The rest players who have tasted action haven’t done enough to warrant a rating.
Mohammed Mowiz